The healthcare system of New Zealand has undergone significant changes throughout the past several decades. Currently, New Zealand has a mixed
public-private system for delivering healthcare.

In New Zealand hospitals are public and treat citizens or permanent residents free of charge and are managed by District Health Boards. Under the
Labour coalition governments, 1999 - 2008, there were plans to make primary health care available free of charge. At present government subsidies
exist in health care. This system is funded by taxes.

The New Zealand government agency PHARMAC subsides certain pharmaceuticals depending upon their category. Co-payments exist however these are ignored
if the user has a community health services card or high user health card.

In 2005, New Zealand spent 8.9% of GDP on health care, or US$2,403 per capita. Of that, approximately 77% was government expenditure.[

Originally posted by cloakndagger
I made an office visit for a tick bite just to be on the safe side. I spent a total time of 15 min. at the office. I got a prescription for antibiotic
cream and told to watch for the redness to go away in a few days if not come back. Total cost was $88.00. $88 dollars for 15 minutes! That is $352.00
an hour.

thats actually a bargain.

You are paying for that doctor's 14+ years of very expensive training.
You are also paying for the electricity in the office.
You are paying or charts and other paperwork.
You are paying for the nurse that took your blood pressure and vitals.
You are paying for the receptionist that took your call

and if you have insurance

You are paying for the medical biller to send payment request to insurance

Im a little sick of the doctor bashing on this site. You people have no idea how much things cost. My wife is a pediatrician and she makes less than a
car salesman with no education.

and now Obama wants to force my wife into a system where she is an employee of thee federal goverment and cap her pay.

medical school is so expensive its insane. so when these crappy walmart medical centers open up and offer so called medical services with a nurse
practioner (who has only 4 yrs of training) its further squeezing doctors pay.

a lot of doctors are leaving the country to avoid their 500,000 dollar student loans they can never hope to pay back because ignorant patients would
rather visit a walmart nurse and pay 10 dollars to get their ointments.

you want to blame someone, blame the insurance megaliths and big pharm but dont blame doctors. that $88 translated into $20 or less in that doctor's
pocket. not very much when you consider docs make next to nothing for 14+ years of training plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

Read my post about my girlfriend who worked for Pfizer and bought a multi-million dollar house. Drug companies are real tight bedfellows with our
government.

Page 9 Hostile Takeover by David Sirota

For instance, instead of regulating drug and health insurance prices like every other industrilized country, our government hands out corporate
welfare checks to the pharmaceutical and HMO Companies as a bribe to get them to imporve their medical benefits (which invariabley, they don't).
Instead of forcing companies to pay their wokers better through minimum wage mandates, we get proposals to give companies even more tax breaks if they
agree to consider pay increases. Instead of laws that prohibit oil companies from gouging Americans with higher and higher gas prices, we bet
billions of dollars' worth of new tax breaks to the petroleum industry. In other words, problems for average Americans become oportunities for
lawmakers to shower Corporate America with taxpayer cash instead of an impetus to reform a broken system.

I agree with you that most of the time we shouldn't be bashing doctors. I'm not sure I have any sympathy with them over their pay though. Here in
the UK, the average GP earns £110,000, that's something in the region of $170,000-$200,000 depending on the exchange rates at the time I think.
That's more than 4 times the average wage in the UK overall.

I wouldn't call for them to have pay cuts, I do think they deserve a very good wage, after all the years they spend studying, the long hours they
have to do and so on, but I'm also not going to fight for them to get more. As they are getting more than 4 times the average wage, I consider they
are doing OK.

Originally posted by admriker444
you want to blame someone, blame the insurance megaliths and big pharm but dont blame doctors. that $88 translated into $20 or less in that doctor's
pocket. not very much when you consider docs make next to nothing for 14+ years of training plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

you are right. the entire system if screwed up. our priorities are screwed up. our country is being over-run by greed.

First - our US Congress let billions of $ go to the US banks that were thought to be in dire need of the money - that has never been proven to date.
So, here we are (America) thousands and thousand of dollars in debt per household, and I am talking $30,000 per. We have tripled / yes tripled the
national debt since useless Bush. That seems to be ignored by many who support Obama. We have now wasted our financial recourses that could of been
used for health care. But no, we give it to the banks for thier health care.

Our government employees are excempt from the same presented plan Obama wants the general public to take as health care. Now why is that LOL - do you
think maybe thiers is better - by a long shot. Does anyone think they will even entertain a changing. It should be mandatory that they take it just
like us. Obama supporters do not care about this also.

Our present administration is now saying that the republicans are not coming up with any alternative ideas for the health plan. Well the most obvious
idea presented by the republicans was the insurance companies being able (or forced) to sell thier product across state lines. That alone would drive
the price down, again the Obama administration just ignores any outside ideas as usual.

Yes - yes - yes we need a change in health care plans in this country. Two of my friends on Medicare just gave me thier example of the wasted dollars
on tests that are questionable at best. One had $22,000 in tests - nothing found wrong with him and the other had $40,000 of tests and also nothing
was found wrong LOL. Now multiply that by hundred of thousands and you can see why we are in trouble. The doctors and hospitals are fleecing us
everyday and something needs to be done about it. Problem is the government has screwed up everything they have touched and this will be no different
I'm sure.

Wow, that sounds interesting down in Oz. My mother, and father in the States are becoming elderly. Everytime they go to the hospital, or contact the
govt., they are asked for all their possessions, and an itemized list of valuables. They aren't the only ones in that boat. There is a lot of
wealth passed down early to heirs because of the pirate system of profiteering in the states.

Wow, Japan!!! That's too cool. It sounds like it is very cheap there. This really surprises me as they are a busy country. I figured it would be
outrageously expensive. Believe me, I am in a total state of shock from the care I received in Mexico for $54 bucks. Totally blew me away!!!

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Er, I'm on page 3 still catching up. Don't mind the out of turn post

I had to have a tooth pulled a couple of weeks ago. I was like a beaten dog, crying and whimpering from the pain. IOW, it was bad.

I have no job. I have no money except a few bucks I can use on the credit card. I needed it taken out pronto quick. Since there was no way a real
dentist would do it for a price I could put on the damn credit card, I went to the UNLV school of dentistry.

Full mouth x-ray(damn, that was one ugly picture - NOTE TO KIDDIES: Take care of your teeth. I didn't and am paying dearly now), anesthetic and
extraction for $50.

They may just be students but they did a great job. They get to learn and I get my infected and very painful tooth pulled and it didn't cost me both
arms and legs.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to all cases but it's worth a try. Look around, there may be an alternative to getting raped by the system.

I am really sorry to hear that. It doesn't sound to humane when the hospital isn't doing what is necessary; due to possible costs. When my mother
was admitted with CHF the doctors were the same way in regards to not wanting to give appropriate tests.....

100 bucks for a tooth removal??? I was in Antigua Guatemala, and waited until the last minute for an impacted Wisdom tooth. The estimate in the
States was 2 grand for the surgical removal; also needed lead time for the appointment.

Down in Guatemala it started to hurt real real bad. I went to the oral surgeon at 5:30 in the afternoon. I was a walk in, and he took me right in.
He looked at it, and told me it would be 140bucks to remove it; that is actually like 1300 Quetzales. Any ways right then, and there he proceeded
with Oral surgery. 20 minutes later no more tooth, or pain. It was one of the best dental experiences I've ever had.

And the prognosis???? I fully recommend for anything serious exiting to Mexico for treatment. You have good insurance, and that is priceless in the
USA....as long as they cover the problem. I really am hooked on medical work out of the country now. The speed, and care at which the doctors took
care of me the other day was awesome; then to have a total bill of 54bucks, well made the experience actually somewhat enjoyable.

I think I had a similar experience when I crushed my finger tips in a log splitter. I was seen by a nurse practitioner who sewed me up.... I thought
the stitches were silly; as I knew the skin wasn't able to be saved.... Sure enough all 8 stitches, and skin fell off a few days later. Hey, I got
a discount though since I was paying out of pocket..... Not. I kept getting extra bills for crap they kept apparently forgetting to add on the
original bill. The nurse practitioner also was billed as seeing a doctor.

I was so pissed off that I went down to the Urgent Care, and made a big scene, and told them I wanted all the fees right then, and there, or I wasn't
going to pay anymore...

I understand You fully. However, Your getting into a position where I am at many times of the day, and that is absolute REBELLION. The master's as
You call them, and they are play all of us like fine tuned violins. They can hit the highest chords with ease.

See, I don't get health insurance because I have a pre existing condition. Do I let it bother me??? Heck yes. The system already judges me. What
do I do about it??? It's a criminal system so I don't participate like a good little serf; as they would want everyone to do.

Self responsibility is critical in society, yet the society We all live in preaches that; while openly hypocritically not partaking in that
mindset......... It is in fact; "Do as I say, Not as I do." That is the reality of where We live.

There is no land of the free, and home of the brave........ It is truly all a lie

I hear You!!! I just had two crowns replaced, and a couple cavities filled down here...350 bucks total, and it was all top notch composite fillings,
and porcelin(sp) crowns. I asked how many years they guaranteed the crowns for, and I got a silly look. They said Life, of course........ I
couldn't quite grasp that since the two crowns that broke were only guaranteed for five years, and both broke in years 6, and 7.

You sir are the one feeding propaganda. I have not mentioned Obama's healthcare.

You are an beyond feeding propaganda. Why don't You explain where You've read me making a statement supporting Obama???

You are a subversive. Probably someone who got mixed in with the half ass Glen Beck patriot movement.

Let me tell You something I've been a patriot longer than most; I cannot express the rage I have for You right now putting words into my mouth.

Your lucky this is ATS, and they'd censor some of my more choice words for You, and Your weak argument.

Your also lucky You've got a screen name, and not a real name, and that You didn't spout that crap off in Person to me.

I cannot stand being lumped in, or associated with something I've never claimed; You did that for me.

The other thing I cannot stand are little whine bags who don't have an argument, so they start lumping People in with groups, or names.

You are beneath me in every level of life. I don't need to meet You as I can tell from Your writing. Keep driving Your "pinto", and spewing Your
hate. No matter how much crud You can stir up You will always be beneath most People, and Myself.

How dare You hide behind Your little avatar/screenname, and throw my name in with any mix.

Last time i had to go to the Drs, i got a blood clot in my thigh after being pinned by a cricket ball.

Woke up the next day in pain. Rang the Drs and was booked in for an afternoon appointment. Went for the appointment, got thoroughly examined and he
said luckily it wasn't too serious. Was prescribed a 2 week course of antibiotics, and told to come back if the problem hadn't gone away/got
worse.

Now the prices;

Appointment: free
Medication: free (i was in full-time education at the time)

Most elective surgeries are also covered ( either by the government or by your insurance ). Good example would be my mother. She having some serious
dental done later this year. Now the overall price tag is more than 10.000euro but since we are insured we will only pay a certain percentage of that
amount ( I`m not sure how much ). But if she were unemployed without insurance she could still get the cheapest surgery provided by the fund.

And since a year or two even some kinds of plastic surgery are covered by the fund.

How are the cases reviewed, well that`s a lot of work.
They would check:
- your income (if any)
- family situation (are you single ? Married ? Children to support ? etc, etc )
- Your credit situation ( loans with banks or the government ( for housing or previous medical care ))
- I`m sure there are other things that should be taken into consideration but I do not work for the RSZ - OCMW or RIZIV.

It also applies to the dentist, the eye doctor, rehabilitation/physiotherapy, and from what I understand, acupuncture, chiropractic and other forms of
voodoo.

My root canal and cap came in around $50. Maybe a little more. Under $100, anyway. That was for a silver crown - gold or porcelain were more expensive
(but nowhere close to what I would have paid in Canada).

I am a working single mom. As you already know we don't pay for medical care.

I just wanted to add that my taxes are not high by my own personal assessment.

I made $35,500 last year and of that roughly 5000.00 was taken off for tax and my tax return was about 3200.00. I don't think I pay a lot of tax for
what I am given. I also receive what we always called a baby bonus which is about 225.00 per child per month. A refund for GST (goods and service
tax) because of my low income which amounts to 198.00 every 3 months.

So for those arguing that our health care system means paying high tax I have so say no...my employer pays for my health care.

I know that single or higher wage earners pay more taxes but these days a lot of families are single moms.

Edit to add - Dental is covered by my work benefits 1000.00 per year per family member. It will also cover many forms of therapies that health does
not cover like chiropractor and such.

Gallstone surgery in 1998.
Surgery to biopsy a enlarged lymph node just over my heart in 2003 DXed Sarcoidosis.
Heart attack with angioplasty and 5 way bypass surgery in 2006 done by top doctors from UCLA.
CT scan to check on my sarcoidosis every year since 2003

Plus other doctors visits every couple months. and all meds free.

Cost =one trip to Vietnam during the war.

I get my medical care as a veteran at the VA hospital.

Now if this was the care promised by Obama for national health care i would go for it, but Obama nor congress have not made any plan public to
compare.
but we have never had a open plan for national health care shown to us and we are only told what they want us to hear.

What are they trying to hide that they can not come up with a plan and publish it on the internet for all to see.

This was what Obama promised but has never done.
if you google "US national health care plan" all you find is BS. www.google.com...

Where is the plan he promised to put forward before they voted for it,

Show us the plan and what it cover at what cost.

So far all i have heard its been a insurance and drug company plan to take our money.

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